


Electrify Your Resistance

by A_Song_to_Say_Goodbye



Category: Assassination Classroom
Genre: Gakushu Fails to Learn from His Mistakes, I Do Not Know How This Happened, M/M, This Really is a Messed-Up Relationship, What the Hell is Wrong with These People?, Who the Hell Dates Someone as the Natural Evolution of Their Power Play?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2016-02-15
Packaged: 2018-05-20 15:29:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6014152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Song_to_Say_Goodbye/pseuds/A_Song_to_Say_Goodbye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gakushu really hates Akabane Karma. He also really hates ethics class.</p><p>Sort of written for International Fanworks Day</p>
            </blockquote>





	Electrify Your Resistance

**Author's Note:**

> So I was writing a reply to a comment and mentioned my headcanon that ethics, which is listed as Gakushu’s least favorite subject, is an actual course that Gakushu is failing miserably. Then I thought, “You know, I bet Karma’s in that class too and doing splendidly, since he probably does a good job of disguising his near-sociopathy,” which would drive Gakushu nuts. Thus, this cracky fic was born.
> 
> I took some liberties to make it possible for Karma and Gakushu to share a class, since I don’t think Kunigigaoka allows Class A and E to do that, and I’m not sure how electives work in Japan, so please pretend canon/reality work as described. It contains a reference to [this](http://land-under-wave.tumblr.com/post/137530771445/i-was-writing-this-thing-and-it-just-sorta-stalled) half-written fic of mine, but having read it is not required. It just makes one line a little funnier.

“No, no, Asano-kun, setting things on fire, even if it’s a disguised as a festival bonfire, is not an appropriate way of dealing with your frustrations,” the Class E teacher says sternly, handing back their papers. Gakushu’s is marked with yet another failing grade that he scowls at. “Also, bonfires are a waste of resources and release too much carbon dioxide. Those are not the actions of a responsible citizen, Asano-kun,” the teacher continues. He’s pointing his pencil at him, loosely held in one of those strangely narrow, unnatural blobby yellow fingers, in a very disappointed manner.  

Well, what the hell does Gakushu care? He only signed up for this class, which is called some crap about ethics of society and being a productive citizen, as part of his investigation on the Class E teacher, aka Koro-sensei, who won’t reveal his real name so Gakushu can’t call him anything other than that stupid moniker. He doesn’t understand how he got the nickname yet, but he will. Oh, he will. Perhaps it has something to do with his horrible yellow face with those loathsome tiny eyes and artificial-looking nose . . .

Anyways, Koro-sensei only teaches this class because there’s apparently something in the student handbook about it being mandatory for all students to take one elective, and also that Class E students can’t take classes in the main building, so the only solution was for Koro-sensei to start teaching an elective. The rule doesn’t apply in reverse, so Gakushu is perfectly free to take classes in the old school building, so long as it doesn’t conflict with his schedule. And it doesn’t. Gakushu pulled strings to make sure it didn’t.

Now he’s wishing he hadn’t. Especially considering one of the other members of the class . . .

“Yes, peaceful group discussion _is_ an excellent method of conflict resolution. Wonderful job, Karma-kun, as always,” beams the teacher at Akabane, who sits one seat behind and to the right of him. Oh yes, “discussion.” Gakushu can only imagine what such a “discussion” would entail, probably a lot of threatening from Akabane and terrified nodding from his victims.

Gakushu grits his teeth and digs his pencil so hard into the failed assignment that it tears a hole down the paper. He’d known that Akabane would be in this class, of course, but he hadn’t known that he would be so unexpectedly _good_ at goddamn _ethics._ After all, Akabane’s just like him; he has none! What the hell is going on here? It can’t just be that he’s bribing Isogai or another one of his classmates, like maybe that shy goody-two-shoes Shiota, because Akabane speaks up in class. He _participates._ Smiling genially like this is actually _fun._

And of course, because this is Akabane Karma they’re talking about, Akabane notices his irritation. “Ne, what’s wrong, Asano-kun?” he inquires, the polite tone undermined by his delighted smirk. He tilts his head forward. “Having a little trouble?”

“Of course not, Akabane, what gave you the idea?” Gakushu got out through his gritted teeth, as he valiantly endeavored to turn his scowl into some semblance of his razor-like, confidently superior honor student smile.

“Are you sure, Asano-kun? I wouldn’t mind tutoring you, you know,” Akabane offers, his voice almost sweet. Almost.

Since this is Class E, he doesn’t need to pretend. “Absolutely not. I’d drink hemlock first.”

“Oh, Socrates?” Akabane says indifferently. “Doesn’t suit you, Asano-kun. I think you’d go out punching and kicking while they tried to drag you to your execution. It’d be very undignified.”

“And you’d reveal yourself to be an immortal demon of some sort and vanish cackling,” Gakushu returns sourly.

Akabane taps his chin. “Hmm. Not a bad idea,” he says. “I bet I could get Okuda to make me something that’ll turn into smoke.”

Gakushu swears this class is causing him so much teeth damage that his dentist will probably cry. “You weren’t meant to take that literally, Akabane, no one in this day and age will—”

“Asano-kun! Karma-kun!” Koro-sensei shouts. “Pay attention!”

At least Akabane was scolded too.

 

It’s official. Gakushu hates his life.

His days have become a chorus of, “Yes, that’s exactly right, Karma-kun!” and an awful lot of smirking, courtesy of the various members of Class E who really enjoy his suffering. He has nightmares about this, that’s how bad it is. Even the near-worship of Class A doesn’t make him feel any better, considering that the failures of Class E now have license to mock him.  

Akabane’s ethics grades only improve, while Gakushu tears his hair out in frustration and wonders, _How the hell is he this good at faking it_? It doesn’t help that Akabane, demon that he is, won’t stop rubbing his success in Gakushu’s face, with comments like, “But Asano-kun, it’s the responsibility of a good citizen to help their inferiors.”

If it turns out that Koro-sensei has somehow missed all the signs of Akabane’s sociopathy, Gakushu will lose all faith in the future of mankind. Even if he’s at their helm, guiding them on the right path, there’s only so much he can compensate for, so Gakushu needs competent teachers to turn out some good lackeys for him. Teachers who can’t notice the evil that’s literally right in front of them won’t be of any use.

Sadly, it seems that Gakushu might have to prove his sincerity about that “losing all faith in mankind” bit, since Koro-sensei won’t stop cooing over Akabane’s apparently flawless work. Gakushu’s taken a look at some of it himself, and it seems pretty ridiculous to him. Teamwork? Mutual trust? Why bother when you can manipulate everyone into following you blindly instead?

Not only that, but he hasn’t even accomplished his original goal! The best Gakushu has is, “Koro-sensei refuses to touch anyone and clearly has severe jaundice,” which is about as useful as the crap Akabane writes for this class!

This whole thing has been a failure from start to finish, but it’s too late for him to drop the course, so Gakushu is stuck in Hell. He idly wonders which circle this qualifies as. The fifth circle, for anger, considering how much of that it inspires in him? Or maybe this is Tartarus and intended to be a punishment specially prepared for him. Although if that were the case, he’d expect a little more of the chairman in there.  

But he is Asano Gakushu, so he makes the best out of this that he can. He studies the Class E dynamics and takes note of the other teachers he sees, a Karasuma-sensei and a Jelavic-sensei. Neither of them act much like professionals, Jelavic-sensei especially. Karasuma-sensei is weirdly serious and threatening for a PE teacher, and Jelavic-sensei keeps making inappropriate comments. The students even call her “Vic-sensei,” which, in Japanese, is pronounced exactly like a certain English swear word.  

“Oh, Karasuma-sensei?” Akabane says, in that cavalier way of his, when Gakushu brings it up. “He was sent by the government, you know.”

By the hisses of, “Karma-kun!” he knows Akabane revealed something he shouldn’t have, but Akabane just smirks and leans back, deliberately casual. “And Vic-sensei is only 20,” he adds.

That one really gets his attention. “What? How does she have her teaching license?” he demands. She shouldn’t have even graduated from college yet.

Akabane shrugs. “Not really our concern, is it? Your father’s the one in charge of that,” he says, so very innocent, and Gakushu realizes this entire conversation may have been a trap. He should’ve expected that from someone like Akabane.

“Maybe, but I am not my father, Akabane,” he gets out. “I thought you, of all people, would be smart enough to figure that out.” Especially since Akabane had stumbled upon more than one of his plots to overthrow the chairman. Akabane has a knack for really unfortunate timing.

He absolutely hasn’t been letting him discover them on purpose in hopes that Akabane will join him. Absolutely not. Anyone who says otherwise (shut _up_ , Ren) is a filthy liar.

“Good point, Asano-kun,” Akabane says cheerfully. “After all, I doubt your father would be failing ethics.”

“I will kick another soccer ball at your head, Akabane,” Gakushu growls, ignoring the looks from the rest of Class E. He knows Akabane will somehow understand, though it’s creepy as hell not knowing how Akabane stays so informed.

Akabane gasps. “But Asano-kun, weren’t you saving those for your father? I wouldn’t want you to waste one on little ol’ me.”

“Don’t worry. I have more than enough to go around,” Gakushu says, with a slightly toothy grin. It’s good to be back in control of things.

The bell rings before Akabane can respond, and Koro-sensei calls the class to order. Gakushu turns up front, the model of decorum, and hides his own smirk. Akabane won’t be happy that Gakushu got the last word. He’ll plan some kind of revenge. But Gakushu will enjoy this victory while it lasts.

 

Gakushu is right about the revenge, obviously, since Akabane is too juvenile to just let it go. Goddammit, why is Class E so full of children? He’s heard enough noise and seen enough damage at the old school building to know that Akabane is probably the norm, not the exception. Perhaps that’s why they’re all in Class E.

It’s because of all his experience with this bunch of idiots that he isn’t surprised when Koro-sensei informs him that, “Really, Asano-kun, your grades in this class have been so low. I’m very disappointed. We were all brainstorming solutions to help you, since we care about you, Asano-kun. Karma-kun has suggested remedial lessons.”

Because that’s exactly what he needs. More time with _goddamn ethics_.

“I think that’s an excellent idea, personally,” Koro-sensei continues. “As our class’s top student, I’ve asked Karma-kun to stay and assist.”

Oh _hell_ no.

“Never fear, Asano-kun, you won’t be the only one there,” Koro-sensei says, apparently misreading the expression on his face. “A few others who need help will be present as well.”

“With all due respect, I don’t think I need the lessons,” Gakushu manages, once he gets past the frozen horror, since he’s close enough to the main building that any screaming, snarling, or enraged throttling attempts will definitely carry, so he has to control his emotions. Koro-sensei might not deserve politeness, especially with that hideous name, but it’s the only facade he has prepared.

Koro-sensei fixes him with a stern glare. “Asano-kun, you have the lowest grade in the class by far,” he says. “Whether you think you need it or not, you will be there so Sensei can help you. Honestly, I never expected a student like you to try skipping class.”

Because the world hates him, when Gakushu reluctantly shows up after school, the other students whose presence Koro-sensei promised aren’t there. It’s just him, Koro-sensei, and Akabane, who smirks at him from where he’s lounging by the blackboard.

“Oh wait, I have to go make some copies. Go ahead, Karma-kun, start without me. Sensei knows you can do it!” says that poor excuse for a teacher before rushing out of the classroom. For a second, Gakushu swears he catches a glimpse of what looks suspiciously like a yellow tentacle, but that’s a silly notion. Clearly, Koro-sensei is just wearing something as ridiculous as his personality underneath his omnipresent floor-length robe.

Gakushu looks at Akabane, who looks back at him, still smirking. There’s something oddly tense and uncomfortable in the air. No one wants to be the first one to break the silence. That’d be a concession of defeat.

They’re alone in a classroom after school.

This sounds like a shoujo manga.

At the thought, Gakushu scowls and mutters, “Would that make me the girl avoiding her crush or something?” only to remember belatedly that Akabane is right next to him. Said boy then proceeds to remind him of this fact by leaning in and shoving his face into Gakushu’s damn personal space with a, “What was that, Asano-kun?”

Gakushu tries to come up with a clever retort, but Akabane is very close to him. Gakushu doesn’t think Akabane’s ever been quite this close to him before. His hand is resting on Gakushu’s arm. This is really very uncomfortable. His brain seems to be short-circuiting.

 _If Koro-sensei were to come back right now, this would really look very wrong_ , his hazy mind offers.

It’s this thought that jolts him into action and causes him to push Akabane back, hastily, gracelessly. It’s obviously not one of the carefully thought-out moves in their power play, and Akabane laughs as he dances back with the easy footing of an athlete—or a delinquent—taking one last step to balance himself. “Resorting to physical violence, Asano-kun?” he calls, his voice lilting. He clearly hasn’t been thrown off at all.

“Shut up,” Gakushu mutters, and he’s sure his face is flushed red. He was wrong, ethics isn’t hell, this damn situation is.

Akabane laughs again and moves back towards him, closing the distance between them. “I’ve got a better idea,” he says, and the smile on his face is actually strangely benign. That’s the last thought Gakushu manages before Akabane kisses him.

His brain apparently decides it’s a good idea to stop functioning altogether and ceases all activity. The next thing he knows, Akabane is stepping away from him, and Gakushu’s lips are tingling. It’s not an unpleasant feeling.  

He is very embarrassed to admit that it takes more than one attempt to open his mouth and croak out, “What was that?”

“Just an idea I had,” Akabane answers. The sunlight coming in from the window is casting odd patterns on his hair. He looks thoughtful. “Not bad.”

Not bad? Really? The bastard up and kisses him, and that’s the only thing he can say? Intellectually, Gakushu knows this is a stupid thing to be offended by, especially considering all that’s happened between him and Akabane, but he has a nearly-perfect reputation to defend and, alright, a lot of pride. Also, he still can’t stand being shown up by Akabane Karma, of all people!

This time, he’s the one who pulls Karma in for the kiss.

 

He could’ve sworn it’d been at least an hour, but when Koro-sensei comes back into the room spewing explanations about their copier being broken and having to go to the main building, Gakushu looks at the clock and realizes it’s only been about twenty minutes. They’re standing by the windows opposite the door, hands loosely entwined, and when Koro-sensei’s eyes land on them, Gakushu nearly jerks his away on instinct. But Karma’s grip tightens faintly, and he thinks better of it.

“I see you’re getting along better with Karma-kun!” Koro-sensei says proudly, as if he had something to do with it. “Sensei is so happy! Karma-kun tends to get off to a rough start with people.” He nods, and if Gakushu’s not mistaken, those are actual tears starting to form at the corner of his eyes. Which are still irritatingly tiny.

“Cliché plots make Sensei cry,” Karma whispers conspiratorially to Gakushu.

“And I suppose a rehabilitated delinquent who bonds with his classmates counts?” Gakushu says back, mouth curving into a half-smile. It’s definitely nice to have him on his side occasionally. Their rivalry is far from over, but there’ll be a different context going forward.

“Well, I can’t help it,” huffs Koro-sensei. “Karma-kun, you’ve grown so much since we first met.” He turns to Gakushu and explains, “He tried to kill Sensei, you know.”

“What?” Gakushu very nearly shrieks.

“Oh yes,” Koro-sensei says, a dreamy expression on his face, and oh my god, there is something _very wrong with this whole situation_.

“I’m kind of embarrassed,” Karma sighs. “My murder attempts were so unsophisticated back then.”

What the _hell_ . This whole thing is . . . is . . . so unbelievably messed up that words don’t exist to describe this. He’s being taught ethics by a clear madman with a view of society that’s so skewed it’s warped all the way back around to being mostly normal except for some weird parts like being okay with murder attempts. He is _holding hands with a wannabe-murderer_.

“Are you actually evil?” Gakushu asks the boy at his side.

“Well, I can’t complain about the murdering,” Koro-sensei says sadly, which Gakushu finds ridiculous. Of course he can complain! Even Gakushu isn’t this messed up! “But Sensei was hoping you would learn something from being in ethics class.”

So he’s known that Karma is a sociopath the whole time and he hasn’t done anything about it?!

Then again, Gakushu is hardly one to talk. He kinda likes Karma like this. Perhaps. A little.

“Let’s go,” he says to Karma.

“Huh? Trying to ditch, Asano-kun?” Karma smiles at him, all teeth. “Finally given up?”

“No,” Gakushu says. He smiles mockingly back. _As if_. “But I’m done with this class. You’re all insane, and I won’t learn any ethics from people who are all wrong in the head anyways.” No wonder he was failing the class if it was being taught by someone who thought trying to assassinate him was alright.

“Alright, then. Later, Sensei,” Karma says, lifting one hand in a lazy goodbye as he strolls away. Why is he even leaving first when Gakushu was the one who wanted to go? Gakushu thinks, storming off after him.

Outside the school, neither of them speaks until Gakushu exhales angrily. “This was all a waste of time,” he grumbled.

“I’m offended, Asano-kun,” Karma says. “You did get something out of it, didn’t you?”

Gakushu’s hand found Karma’s again. That was true.

**Author's Note:**

> You’d think that Gakushu is smart enough to figure out what BS to spout for the class, but again, I repeat, he canonically hates ethics, which is probably because he's bad at it. Also, I used “Vic-sensei” because I don’t like using bigger swear words like b*tch if unnecessary, and translating from Croatian to Japanese makes them the same anyways. 
> 
> And now I invite you to imagine the rest of Class E plus Koro-sensei watching them argue after this and wailing, “Their relationship still hasn’t gotten any better!”


End file.
